Well, the 8-year old Calypso died the other day...So here's my new daily driver:

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I really love the "O" in the cycle pointer.. very "Googie" styled. That's kind of surprising for a 1967 vintage machine.

This is an absolutely beautiful machine. Wish I had one. :)

Glad to hear all that was wrong with it was something very minor.
 
Jamie, you are correct. The fill is known as "metered fill" and because of it, the machine cannot pump out during agitation like the timed fill models do therefore the overflow rinse is abbreviated to the last couple of timer increments in the deep rinse instead of the whole rinse like in timed fill machines so that too much water does not accumulate in the outer tub before the spin/drain. Also, unlike the time fill machines, all of the wash water has to be pumped out of the machine to empty that little metering container (sometimes referred to as a collector basin) before the washer can stop spinning and start filling for rinse. If water remains in the container, the machine will not fill with the proper amount of water. In the time fill machines, the spin after the wash did not have to be long enough to pump out all of the water because as soon as the machine started agitating in the rinse, it resumed pumping out water.
 
Drop Dead Gorgeous Washer ! Just look at her!

Knew something was up with that water level switch. Never knew the solid tub Frigi's had a variable water level. It was either Normal Load or Small Load with Small cutting all cycle time periods in half. Simply Amazing. The Wash & Soak button--love it--and also the clock marrked " Extra Rinse CYCLE"--how cool is that.

Thanks so much for these, Davy, and Happy Thanksgiving.
 
So, here's the story......

One of my fellow firefighers said that he had an old washer in his basement that he needed to get rid of. He knew I liked tinkering with mechanical things and asked if I would like it. I asked him what brand it was, but he wasn't sure. I went over with my nephew, since he has a truck, and discovered it was a 1959 Frigidaire Custom Imperial (Multimatic). I near passed out. Took it home and replaced the two belts and it sprang to life. I posted pictures on AW.org which piqued Rich (Trainguy)'s interest. He had the matching dryer for the '59 and asked if I was interested in a trade. He sent me pictures of the '67 and I fell in love as I remember this machine from my childhood. Our neighbors had this model. Rich made the trip from Pittsburg and we made the trade, followed by dinner and discussion. I replaced the rollers and cleaned it up a bit, fixed the timer (the contacts were pitted), replaced the pump shaft seal and recently adjusted the off-balance switch. The machine resided in my garage as a rag and coverall washer for a while. When the Calypso died, my wife suggested we put the Frigidaire in it's place until we can find a replacement.

So...last night I decided to do an autopsy on the Calypso. I found two things:
1) there was a sandwich bag stuck in the pump (how the f$%k did that get in there?)
2) the wash plate doesn't level itself out before spinning. It tries to, but fails, which leads me to believe the little universal joints are shot. It also sounds like something is sliding around under the wash plate (coins, etc.)

We went to Sears and bought the Samsung toploader (window lid, of course) and the matching steam dryer. It has a "Rapidry" 1000rpm spin and some other nice things, but won't be deivered until 12/7, so the Rollermatic has a few weeks of laundry to do until it's returned to the garage.
 
 
If the wash plate nutates without excess noise or jamming then the u-joint may technically be OK.  Problem could be the leveler, which is a separate little gizmo that mounts on the drive shaft under the dome and tilts the plate for nutation or levels it for spin.  If your machine is otherwise in OK condition and you're planning to trash it ... I'd take it and do the repair, except it's too far from here to fetch.

There's a quarter or some such been loose in mine under the wash plate for a year or so, rattles and rolls.
 
 
Not for the leveler.  Pop off the outer dome, remove the bolts that anchor the wash plate, lift the plate and inner dome off.  The leveler will either come off with the dome (stuck inside it) or be left atop the shaft.  The u-joint does not need to come off (it's anchored to the shaft by the basket spanner nut).  Removing the inner dome will allow inspection of the u-joint.  Repair specs state that the six grommets under the wash plate bolts (atop the u-joint) must be replaced whenever disassembled, but I don't know how crucial is that.  Note that the wash plate won't fit out of the basket unless the tub ring and balance ring are removed first.
 


I love that beautiful Frigidaire!  Could someone explain to me how it does not pump out during agitation like the rest of them do.  I'd be interested to know the mechanics of how it does that.
 
 
Tom, the thing is there is no gasket as such for the inner dome on the "new" design as there is on the old.  Just the six bolt grommets and the pink o-ring on the basket hub under the u-joint (which doesn't get disturbed if just the inner dome is removed).  There is a thin foam piece that goes on the u-joint atop the six grommets and under the rim of the dome, but it's not available as a separate item and also is not included in the seal kit (o-ring and six grommets) far as I've seen ... so I've not been clear on what purposes the foam piece serves.  Is it a required "seal" for the inner dome on the updated design?  How does one get a replacement of it?
 
davy, what was very ahead of its time with this machine is that when the extra rinse option is selected, the fabric softner won't be dispensed until the 2nd rinse.  Also, the button mechanisms are very fragile--a source of many of these failing-so push gently.
 
the other nite my wife put it through it's paces. Comforters, jeans, etc. It spun dried the clothes drier than the Calypso ever did!

Yeah, Appnut... I can understand how, with age, those buttons can become brittle and fail, care is always used with that machine.

I can only assume that this machine is currently, at 44 years old, working as well as it did when it left the factory in Dayton.

Is there way from the serial number to determine the actual date of manufacture?

Dave
 
Date it,

Yes there is a way.  Follow this link
smiley-smile.gif


www.appliance411.ca

Appliance411: Service: How old is my appliance? Age finder

The serial number is usually the key to determining the manufacturing date (aka 'age') of most major home appliances. You can use our age finder service to try to find out how old your appliances may be
www.appliance411.ca
 
this model

So this is a 67? I think this was the exact washer my grandparents had in their summer condo in Palm Springs before the maid over loaded it and it was replaced by a 76 whirlpool. How many years did they have a control panel like this? I'd love to see a set like they had again, theirs were avocado!
 
Joelippard...

I don't think that link is accurate...it is saying that it could have been manufactured between 1973 and 1983. Way off! However Frigidaire made a WCIL model in the 1-18 format back then too.

Wigwag, if I'm not mistaken this was the only year for this control panel. The '65 and '66 models had a round timer and the '67 had the rectangular one. 1968 saw the control panel with the non-offset timer knob and dial.

Jetcone, we bought a Samsung, not an LG but they look pretty similar on the inside. I haven't even seen a video on what the wash action is like, but you can be sure I'll post a video when it gets here :-)

Oh, the serial number on my WCIL is 30VD 8466, if anyone can help decipher that. Being that I see a "66" in the serial number makes me believe it was produced late that year for a '67 introduction.

Oh, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!!!!!

Dave
 

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